What a Specification Is

Overview

A Stamp Specification is the detailed technical description of a physical tax stamp — its construction, security features, and coding capabilities. A specification belongs to a single excise authority, and because authorities sometimes reuse the same stamp design across more than one programme, a specification can be shared and linked to multiple programmes run by that authority.

Basic Details

• Name and, where a programme uses more than one specification at once, a Display Name to distinguish them
• Stamp Type, Application Method (adhesive or heat transfer), and Substrate Type — the physical construction of the stamp

Security Features

• Production Methods used to produce the stamp — conventional printing, digital printing, or holographic replication
• Overt Security Features — visible to the naked eye
• Semi-Covert Security Features — require a simple tool or aid to verify
• Authentication Tools used to verify the semi-covert features

Coding & Functionality

• Variable Data Type — None, human-readable, or machine-readable coding
• Unique per Stamp — Whether variable data is unique to each individual stamp
• Machine-Readable Formats — e.g. barcode or data-matrix formats supported
• Traceability Functions — What the stamp's coding is used for (e.g. tracing back to source, tracking through the supply chain)
• A free-text Coding Description with further detail

Suppliers & Images

Each specification records a Main Supplier and any Sub-Suppliers involved in supplying the stamp, along with any available stamp images.

Where You'll See It

Specifications appear on the programme detail page (as the current specification, or in the specification history), and can be opened directly for their own dedicated detail page with the full technical breakdown.